Buttercups Bake Shoppe Interview
By Jackie Dorey
Buttercups Bake Shoppe is the kind of business that makes a community feel more like a home. With dozens of freshly baked treats lining the counters and friendly faces behind them, you’ll feel instantly welcome when you walk through the doors. But it’s not just their sweets that make Buttercups stand out in Stewartsville, New Jersey. Through connections made with customers like our very own Angel Ed, founder Cara Anastasio spread Buttercups’ divine desserts to community members who aren’t able to make it through their doors.
What inspired you to open your own bakery?
When I was 16 I would bake just for the fun of it. No one really ever baked in my family, and I would make all the desserts. Then, I started working at a little dairy store where I sold my stuff. Everything I made would sell so fast that my father said I should open my own bakery. I was so scared, but my father said, "You’re doing it. This is happening."
So you were the first person in your family to get into baking?
I mean, my aunt bakes sometimes, but no one really did it a lot. No one ever taught me how to bake and I didn't go to school for it. I just taught myself.
What led you to start donating baked goods to nursing homes in the community?
When things don't sell, I don’t believe in just throwing them out if they're still good enough to eat. There are a lot of people who need food out there, so why not give it away?
How did you meet Ed Johns?
He started coming into the bakery and we always talked to him. One day he told us about TAFA, and asked if we would mind donating our leftovers at the end of the week. We split the donations between a nearby soup kitchen and the nursing homes that Ed visits. He's so nice. He'd been coming in a while even before we were donating things to him. He gave us some rhubarb that he grew.
When you first opened your business, did you plan to give back to the community in such a "sweet" way?
Not really. I had no idea how much product I was going to have, and we didn't have nearly as much at the beginning as we do now. Before, I just gave them away to people who work here or next door. But I'd rather give them to people in need.
What's your favorite thing that you bake?
The ricotta cookies! They’re basically everyone's favorite. You have to try them. (I tried one – they were delicious.)
